DNP and Phoenix Solution Jointly Develop IC Tag

Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd. (DNP) and Phoenix Solution Co., Ltd. (Phoenix
Solution) are pleased to announce the joint development of an IC tag that facilitates
stable reading even if attached to metal products. The newly developed product
is protected by a casing based on materials that are both waterproof and resilient
in the face of ultraviolet rays. Orders will be accepted from February 1, 2016.

[Background]

IC tags are being progressively introduced into such areas as distribution
and the management of construction materials and rental goods. There are numerous
instances of such IC tags being attached to metallic products, including transportation
equipment, gas cylinders, metal sheeting and office equipment. However, the
IC tag reading performance is impacted by metal, and even those products that
use "metal-compatible IC tag" as their sales point face challenges,
such as being unable to read if attached to metal products, or of a significant
deterioration in the reading performance.

To overcome these challenges, DNP and Phoenix Solution have jointly developed
an IC tag that facilitates stable reading even if attached to metallic products,
via the use of a game-changing new technology that takes the metal that has
been the problem in non-contact communication to date, and utilizing it to help
form an antenna.

* Phoenix Solution developed the basic technology for the new product with
a grant from the Ishikawa Industrialization Resource Usage Promoting Fund, otherwise
known as the "Kasseika Fund."

[New Product Summary]

Many IC tags marketed as "metal-compatible IC tags" have been capable
of reading from the front of the surface to which it has been attached, but
problems have existed, such as being unable to perform reading when the tag
has been attached to the rear of a metal product, or where numerous tags overlap.
The IC tag jointly developed by the two partners uses the metal to which the
IC tag is attached, to help form an antenna, facilitating non-contact communication
via the electromagnetic waves generated by the metal, itself. And, as the newly
developed product maintains broad directivity characteristics, even if the IC
tag is attached to the rear of a metal product, or is inserted between numerous
metal parts, it is still possible to maintain communication. For example, in
instances where the newly developed product has been attached to the underside
of manhole covers, it has been possible to read the IC tag from the road and
confirm maintenance data without having to open the manhole. As a result, it
is now possible to look forward to applications with a variety of metal products
where IC tag usage has been a problem to date. At the same time, the newly developed
product conforms to EPCglobal Class1 Gen2 the broadly applied IC tag communications
standard, making it possible to use existing reader-writers. The casing for
the newly developed product also employs materials that are water-proof and
resilient to ultraviolet rays, and can therefore be used out of doors. And as
the casing is flexible it can also be attached to curved surfaces, such as cylinders.

Specification

Model number

PMT-01W

PMT-06W

External dimensions

Approx. 31x53x5mm

Approx. 23x56x5mm

Weight

Approx. 2.6g

Approx. 2.4g

Operating frequency

860 - 950MHz

Communications protocol

EPCglobal Class1 Gen2 (ISO/IEC 18000-63)

Communication distance

Up to 10m

Operational temperature

-25 to +85C

Storage temperature

-30 to +85C

Image of manhole application

Image of application with curved surface

[Sales Target]

DNP and Phoenix Solution aim for total sales of 3.0 billion yen by FY 2017.

Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.

Head Office: Tokyo

Company president: Yoshitoshi Kitajima

Phoenix Solution Co., Ltd.

Head Office: Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture

Company president: Hisao Kanaoka

* Product prices, specification and service contents mentioned in this news
release are current as of the date of publication. They may be changed at any
time without notice.